for the record...

... a TA is NOT a magic answer genie you can conjure up early in the morning on 15 minutes notice.

(i got an email at 9:45 this morning asking if i was going to be in my office at 10... i was still in my pajamas eating breakfast and working on my own homework and nowhere ready to leave the house in the near future... oi...)

however, a student who requests a meeting on short notice, and agrees to one later in the day at a more convenient time without complaining, who actually comes in having worked through the whole assignment and with good questions is MUCH preferable to....

a student who makes an appointment two days in advance and then comes in not having looked at the homework at all and waiting for you to just magically them tell how it all works.

frankly, i don't mind the first case at all as long as they're willing to be flexible and show they've done work. the second case is moderately frustrating, but i have no problem telling the student in person that they're not going to get anything out of the encounter and to email me questions once they've actually looked at the assignment.

eric says i'm only flooded with students all the time because they *do* like me and realize that i *do* give clear explanations, so i guess that's good.

i just wish that the prof i teach for were all about giving clear explanations too. on homework he does... on computer assignments, he doesn't have the background to explain programming commands so it all falls on me, and even if it runs me ragged, i believe my students should have *someone* to ask questions of if they're trying to do the work.

summary: my monday? computer stuff all day... plus some of my own work besides... now, time to catch up on my students homework so that i actually understand what i'm teaching tomorrow. the fun never ends.